Cholesterol incorporation into bacterial membranes

Abstract

The wall covered bacteria Micrococcus lysodeikticus, Bacillus megaterium, and Proteus mirabilis incorporated exogenous cholesterol into their cytoplasmic membrane in quantities resembling those incorporated by sterol nonrequiring mycoplasmas. Cholesterol incorporation into the outer membrane of P. mirabilis was much more restricted than into the cytoplasmic membrane.